Mosquitoes Are Smarter and Ruthless Than You Think

A research published in scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggests that new strategies are urgently needed to mitigate the potentially devastating effects of insecticide resistance on malaria control in Africa.

The research conducted by a group of researchers from Senegal has found that there is growing resistance to a common class of insecticide by Anopheles gambiae, the species of mosquito that is responsible for transmitting malaria to humans in Africa.

The introduction of artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs) and widespread distribution of insecticide-treated bednets have resulted in major reductions in malaria transmission in Africa.

The researchers also found that 37% of A gambiae mosquitoes were resistant to deltamethrin insecticide in 2010, and that the genetic mutation conferring resistance to pythethroid insecticides increased from 8% in 2007 to 48% in 2010.

Mosquitoes also ‘developing resistance to bed nets’

While insecticide-treated bed nets have contributed significantly in reducing the prevalence of mosquito in many part of the world and have become a leading method of preventing malaria, especially in Africa, the study suggested that mosquitoes can rapidly develop resistance to bed nets treated with insecticide.